I Want to Be Your Master

Haku's heart shook violently at those words. He launched an even fiercer assault, Senbon raining down on Naruto like a storm.

Naruto blocked using only basic taijutsu, every movement perfectly precise. The Senbon streaked past him, yet not a single one could harm him in the slightest.

Such an absolute gap in strength made Haku's attacks seem laughable.

"You're angry," Naruto said as he effortlessly deflected the attacks. "Because I hit upon the truth you fear most deeply."

"No!" Haku's voice trembled. "I am Zabuza-sama's tool! The meaning of my existence is to fight for him!"

"You're only fighting for his dream?"

Naruto stopped blocking altogether.

He stood quietly where he was, allowing countless Senbon to pass through every gap around his body, yet not one could truly touch him.

This was not evasion.

It was prediction.

The optimal position derived from precise calculations of the enemy's attack patterns, mental state, and even the trajectory of their chakra flow.

In Haku's eyes, Naruto was like an ancient reef that had never changed.

The raging storm he unleashed was nothing more than waves futilely crashing against that reef. Aside from splashing meaningless foam, it could change nothing.

That sense of powerlessness suffocated Haku more than any fierce counterattack could.

"What's wrong with fighting for his dream?!"

Haku's voice rose, sharp with a trace of wavering even he had not noticed.

His attacks came faster and denser, as though he wanted to prove the truth of his own words this way.

"What is his dream?"

Naruto asked in a tone as calm as if he were asking about the weather.

"Zabuza-sama's dream..."

Haku's words caught in his throat.

"It is to change that blood-soaked Kirigakure! To establish a new order where children no longer have to slaughter one another just to survive!"

He practically shouted the words, as though he were trying to convince Naruto—and even more, himself.

"A very good goal."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Then, in order to achieve that noble goal of 'establishing a new order,' what is his current concrete plan of action?"

"A plan of action?"

Haku froze.

The term lay beyond his understanding.

"It means the series of steps and plans he has adopted to achieve his ultimate goal of 'changing Kirigakure.'"

Naruto explained.

"He is working for that filthy merchant Gato, accumulating funds, then recruiting men and preparing to launch a coup."

Haku immediately answered. This was the path he had always believed in.

"Very good."

Naruto nodded again.

"The first step of the plan: accumulate funds. Method of execution: become the thug of a heartless capitalist and assassinate an old man who wishes to bring hope to this country."

"Does this action logically conflict with his ultimate goal of 'establishing a new order'?"

Naruto's question was like a cold scalpel, precisely cutting through the shell Haku had wrapped in conviction.

"This... this is a necessary sacrifice! It is a temporary measure taken for a greater goal!"

Haku's defense sounded pale and weak.

"A necessary sacrifice."

Naruto repeated the phrase.

"Then you, Haku. As his sharpest weapon, is this 'tool' of his also part of that 'necessary sacrifice'?"

"I am willing! I gladly give everything for Zabuza-sama!"

Haku grew agitated.

"Willingness is a very subjective word."

Naruto took a step forward.

Every reflection within the ice mirrors rippled ever so slightly because of that step.

"Let us assess this in a more objective way."

"You possess the Kekkei Genkai known as Ice Release, have mastered the secret technique called Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, and possess extremely high mobility and precise offensive capabilities."

"Your overall tactical value is very high."

Naruto stated the result of his analysis without a trace of emotion.

"And Momochi Zabuza, your master—how does he use you, this 'high-value strategic weapon'?"

"He has you conduct long-term covert reconnaissance, disguise yourself as a Kirigakure ninja, retrieve his 'corpse,' and now, trap a Genin who has little impact on the battle."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke beside him.

Sasuke's body instantly tensed. To him, those words were naked humiliation.

But he could not refute them.

Because from the start of the battle until now, he truly had not played any decisive role.

"Have these tasks made the fullest possible use of your value?"

"Or rather, does this count as... a waste of resources?"

"Shut up!"

Haku roared, and every ice mirror shook violently.

"You don't understand! You don't understand the bond between Zabuza-sama and me at all!"

"I understand."

Naruto's voice was not loud, yet it clearly overwhelmed Haku's roar.

"I understand 'loyalty.'"

"Where I used to be, loyalty was a soldier's most precious quality. It meant obedience, sacrifice, and placing the will of the collective above one's own life and death."

"But loyalty does not mean stupidity."

Naruto took another step forward. His hand was already about to touch one of the ice mirrors.

"A qualified soldier, upon receiving an obviously mistaken order—one that would destroy the entire squad and even affect the whole battle—has the right, and the duty, to raise questions."

"That is not betrayal. That is responsibility."

"And you, Haku, have abandoned the responsibility to think."

"You have completely bound your own will to an incompetent decision-maker. This is not loyalty. It is self-destruction."

"You are not fighting for his dream."

Naruto spoke each word slowly and clearly.

"You are accompanying him toward an ending doomed to fail."

"The ultimate value of your so-called loyalty is to die meaninglessly alongside him."

Those words struck Haku's heart like a bolt from the blue.

The sole conviction he had been proud of, the one that had sustained him through life, was torn to shreds at that moment by the cruelest words of this blond boy.

"No... that's not true..."

His voice trembled. Without realizing it, his Senbon assault had stopped completely.

The cage formed by the ice mirrors began to grow unstable, and its edges even showed signs of melting.

Kakashi and Zabuza outside sensed the change as well.

"Haku! What are you doing?!"

Zabuza's roar came from within the dense mist, filled with anxiety and unease.

He found himself tightly entangled by Kakashi, utterly unable to break free and check on the situation.

Kakashi was equally shocked.

What exactly had Naruto said in there?

He had shaken the will of such a powerful ninja through words alone?

How was he supposed to describe that? Talk no Jutsu?

Inside the ice mirrors.

Sasuke stared blankly at everything unfolding before him.

For the first time, he so directly felt just how terrifying the "pure will" Naruto spoke of truly was.

Every sentence Naruto spoke was like an artillery shell, precisely bombarding the enemy's most vulnerable point.

He was not fighting. He was carrying out a surgical "soul extraction."

"You are suffering."

Naruto looked at Haku, whose mind was on the verge of collapse, and calmly stated the fact.

"Because deep in your subconscious, you have long known that I am right."

"You had already discovered the flaws in Zabuza's plan, and you had long felt uneasy about relying on someone like Gato."

"But your 'loyalty' made you afraid to think, afraid to question."

"You feared that once this bubble burst, the meaning of your existence would collapse in an instant."

Naruto finally extended his hand and gently pressed it against the cold mirror.

A cold, imposing, unquestionable will flowed from his palm and instantly entered the core of the entire Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

This was not chakra.

This was the power of "judgment," belonging to an Imperial political commissar from another world.

Haku's entire body shook violently. He felt as though an invisible hand had seized his soul and placed it before a supreme court, forcing him to examine everything about himself.

All lies, all self-deception, had nowhere to hide at that moment.

"Now, answer me, Haku."

Naruto's voice seemed to come from every direction, carrying sacred yet merciless authority.

"What are you truly loyal to: Momochi Zabuza himself, or his dream of 'establishing a new order'?"

That question was like a key, directly entering the keyhole at the very core of the shackles binding Haku's mind.

Beneath Haku's mask came suppressed, pained breaths.

His worldview was collapsing and rebuilding.

Naruto waited quietly.

He knew that this weapon called "Haku" was about to complete its first "logical reconstruction."

And he would become this weapon's new master.